CBP - U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CBP Officers at Hidalgo Bridge Arrest Men for Immigration Law Violations and Seize Over $370K in Cocaine on the Same Day

HIDALGO, Texas-U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested two men for alleged violations of U.S. immigration law and seized alleged cocaine valued at $372,300 in separate, unrelated incidents in the same day.

'Our officers' attention to detail leads to outstanding apprehensions and seizures. Our CBP officers take pride in carrying out every aspect of the CBP mission,' said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry.

On March 21, CBP officers assigned to the Hidalgo International Bridge encountered a 40-year-old man traveling as a pedestrian as he applied for admission into the U.S. The man claimed United States citizenship and presented a City of Houston birth certificate to substantiate his claim as proof of citizenship and identity. Additionally, the man claimed to be traveling with his father, age 60, who did not have any legal documents to enter the U.S. and was requesting a waiver of documents to enter the U.S. The primary CBP officer referred both subjects to Passport Control Secondary (PCS) for further inspection.

In secondary, an interview and further examination by CBP officers revealed that the 40-year-old man was not the true owner of the U.S. birth certificate, but a Mexican national with no legal documents to enter or reside in the U.S. CBP officers subsequently arrested both male subjects and took them into custody for various violations of U.S. immigration law.

That same day at the Hidalgo International Bridge after CBP officers referred a black 2007 Ford Five Hundred to secondary for inspection. A 53-year-old male Mexican citizen from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico drove the vehicle. After a physical inspection and the use of a non-intrusive imaging (NII) system along with the help of a canine team, officers discovered 19 packages containing 48.28 pounds of alleged cocaine.

CBP OFO seized the narcotics along with the vehicle, arrested the driver and turned him over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents for further investigation.